Ill Take Forever

pervaded. Kyle Martin had not forgotten her; he had sent her protection, though long after the fact. She looked at the man.
    'Thank you. Won't you come in? Where's Kyle? What's he up to now?' Was he still breaking into lonely, isolated houses, she wondered.
    As they went inside, the dog right beside the man, he shook his head. ‘I’m afraid I don't know any Kyle, ma'am. Might be the man who bought the dog, but he paid cash and I don't know his name. Came about a week ago, looked over all my dogs, picked out this one especially. Said he'd suit you.' He reached down to pat the dog. 'He's one of my best. Name's Shasta.'
    'Hi, Shasta.' Jenny slowly held out her hand, letting the dog sniff her before gently patting him. She dropped to her knees and smiled at the dog. 'He's beautiful!'
    'Obedience trained, too. The man who bought him wanted that in a dog. I've got books in the car, which will tell you how to keep him, up to snuff, how he's been trained. You won't have any trouble with Shasta.'
    'Thank you, Mr.–?'
    'Ben Johnson.'
    'Thank you, Mr. Johnson.' Jenny stood up. 'Can I get you some coffee?'
    'That would be right nice. It was a long drive up from Sacramento.'
    While they had coffee, Jenny, hoping her voice was casual, asked him again about the man who had purchased the dog.
    'Tall, he was. Tall and dark. Nothing much to notice about him. Was very specific about where you lived, about my bringing the dog to you. Usually whoever buys one takes them home. This one I had to deliver. But he made it worth my while.' Ben looked around. ‘Nice for me to see where Shasta’s going to be living, too.’
    Jenny was conscious of a vague disappointment. Since Kyle had thought she needed protection she wished that he’d brought Shasta himself. Still, she smiled as she looked at her dog, the thought was what counted. She was torn between being exasperated at the nerve of the man, and the joy in her new present. Delight won.
    Ben Johnson spent an hour with Jenny, showing her how to work Shasta with his obedience training commands–how to have him heel, sit, stay, lie down, come. Voice commands and hand signals were gone over until Jenny could do them all.
    'Leaving you the books, too. You won't forget,’ Ben said as he prepared to depart.
    'I'll use them all the time. Thank you, Mr. Johnson.'
    'My pleasure, ma'am. Must be going now.'
    Jenny turned to Shasta when the truck was lost to sight.
    'So, he sent you to guard me. If you only knew how funny that was. Well, we'll be great friends, my pretty dog.' As Shasta watched her talking, he slowly wagged his tail. Jenny smiled and turned to let them back into the house.

    ***
    As spring came to the Sierra Nevada, Jenny spent long hours out of doors, walking with Shasta, hiking the woods around her home, jogging along the roads, practicing the commands, learning more and more about the large dog. She felt protected by his presence. He slept in her room at night, stayed near her during the day. And she found Shasta good company, especially after the long months since Johnny's death.
    She never heard further from Kyle Martin, though she ran into Nate Fisher in town one day and couldn't resist asking him about his search in the storm.
    'Never did find him, guess he left town.' Nate was uncomfortable, and changed the topic. Jenny was puzzled: what was the connection between the two of them?
    Another day in town she was stopped by George Carlisle. George owned one of the largest ranches in the area. While Jenny and George's younger brother had been in the same grade in school, Jenny knew George only slightly.
    'Jenny Warwick! How are you?' George smiled genially, stopping to chat with her before climbing into his car.
    'I'm doing fine, thanks. How's Nick?'
    'Still likes forestry work. Oregon suits him. I see you're starting to get out more.'
    'Winter’s hardly conducive to being out doors a lot. I love spring.' She smiled, her hand resting on Shasta’s head, patting it absently.
    'Getting over Johnny?' he asked gently.
    'Yes. I still miss him, but the worst is over. Life does go on.'
    'I'm glad. Maybe we could have dinner one evening,' George suggested.
    'I'd like that.' She smiled and moved away as he climbed into his car. She considered the possibility of going out with George. She didn't know him well, and was a little surprised he’d showed an interest. Maybe he was just being neighborly. She had been almost a recluse since Johnny was killed. It would do her good to get out